Sly Stone passed away yesterday. In his memory, today’s classic song of the day is “Dance to the Music,” released as a single in November of 1967 by his group, Sly and the Family Stone. This early example of psychedelic soul went all the way to #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was later inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
“Dance to the Music,” written and produced by Sly Stone, was the track that launched Sly and the Family Stone into the mainstream. It’s the perfect party record and became the band’s de facto theme song. The song featured Sly on Hammond organ, his brother Freddie on guitar, Cynthia Robinson on trumpet, Jerry Martini on sax, Larry Graham on bass, Greg Errico on drums, and four members of the band (Sly, Freddie, Cynthia, and Larry) trading lead vocals.
Sylvester Stewart, better known as Sly Stone, was born on March 15, 1945, in Denton, Texas, and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area city of Vallejo, California. He mastered several instruments at an early age and started performing in gospel groups with his siblings Freddie and Rose. He worked as a record producer and disc jockey in the mid-60s, and formed the band Sly and the Family Stone in 1966.
Sly and the Family Stone were unique in that they were a multiracial and multigender band in a still pretty much segregated music industry. There were white guys (drummer Greg Errico and sax player Jerry Martini) playing alongside black players, women playing alongside men, and all pumping out a potent brew of hot funk blended with crunchy rock and roll. Their sound influenced a generation of artists, from David Bowie to Earth, Wind and Fire, from Public Enemy to Michael Jackson, from George Clinton to Prince. Their biggest hits included “Everyday People” (#1 in 1968), “Stand!” (#22 in 1969), “Hot Fun in the Summertime” (#2 in 1969), “Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)” backed with “Everybody Is a Star” (#1 in 1969), “I Want to Take You higher” (#38 in 1970), and “Family Affair” (#1 in 1971).
Sly Stone, however, was a somewhat erratic personality. He became a big user of illicit substances, and this affected his ability to perform with any reliability. He developed a reputation for showing up extremely late for gigs or not showing up at all. Bookings began to decline and the band broke up in January of 1975 after a disastrous and poorly attended performance at Radio City Music Hall. Sly released a few solo records, but drugs took over his life. He was busted for possession a few times and at one point he was reported to be living on the streets.
Sly’s last major appearance was in 1996 when Sly and the Family Stone were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He dropped out of sight for a decade, reappearing in 2006 to perform with the Family Stone at a tribute to the group at that year’s Grammy Awards ceremony. He surfaced a few times after that and even signed a new recording contract in 2009. More recently, Questlove produced a documentary about Sly and his life, 2025’s Sly Lives! (aka the Burden of Black Genius).
The man definitely left his mark on the world of popular music, sometimes in spite of himself. Was he a musical genius? Many think so, and his output certainly argues that fact.
Sly Stone passed away on June 9, 2025, of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. He was 82 years old.
And here’s today’s very special daily bonus video of the day, Sly and the Family Stone performing “Dance to the Music” live on a television program in 1969. Man, that was some funky music. I defy anyone to sit still during this one; Sly wanted us all to dance to his music and, man, this song makes it irresistible. Sly ends up bringing half the audience up on stage to dance to the music!
